Why Not Me?
by Monsterchild
Summary: Tristan returns a little while after Rory and Jess have started dating. What will happen? Read to find out. To be a JessRory. Sorry, I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

Why Not Me?

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls but I want to own Jess.

AN: Takes place during the time that Jess and Rory were dating.

Chapter 1: Say hello

Jess sat on the couch in Luke's apartment with Rory's head resting on his lap. He ran his fingers through her long brown hair as he read his book. He set down the book. "Okay, I'm bored now," he said.

She looked away from her book, up to him. "How can you get bored reading? You can never get bored while reading."

'Okay, so that's just an excuse to do this." He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers.

She smiled at him. "Well, I'm glad you did." She glanced down to her watch and shot up. "I'm going to miss my bus."

He smiled to her. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Jess, I have to go!" She grabbed her backpack and he followed her down to the bus stop. "Oh thank god," she sighed in relief, "it hasn't left yet."

"Well, I guess you have to leave."

"Yeah, can you pick me up from school?" She pouted.

"Sure, I'll see you then," he replied, kissing her cheek and pushing her onto the bus.

"Hard to see her go, isn't it?" Someone asked behind Jess.

He turned to see who spoke to him. "Why are you talking to me exactly?"

Dean shook off the tone that Jess had just given him and continued. "I know how you wish that she could just stay with you forever."

"I say again, you're talking to me why?" He turned to walk away.

"I thought we could be friends…" Dean called to him.

Jess shot him a look over his shoulder before turning all the way around. "You want _what_?"

"I know, crazy but we got off to a bad start."

"Sorry but I don't care."

"I know Rory would really like it if we got along."

"I see what you're doing: you think that if it'll make Rory happy, then I'll do it no matter what. I'm not as brainwashed as you."

"Whatever." Dean scoffed and walked off.

"This is unacceptable work!" Paris screamed to the students in the news room. "We're not thinking like real journalists here, people! Do them again!" She slammed the articles onto the table before storming off.

"Rory…" Louise hissed across the table.

"What?" Rory replied, keeping her voice low so Paris couldn't hear. She had a feeling that this wasn't newspaper related.

"So how's the new guy?" Louise asked.

"Jess? We're doing fine… I see him everyday before school and after."

"Well, Madeline and I were wondering if you guys wanted to triple date with us on Friday."

"I'm not sure if Jess would be into that but I guess that it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Thanks."

"Stop talking!" Paris screeched at them. "If it's not about the newspaper, then don't talk!"

Rory was thrilled when she was able to escape the news room and crazy Paris. She wasn't sure if it was just the fact that all the work Paris had to do was becoming overwhelming or if Paris was just insane.

Jess waved to her from his car parked outside the front door. She started to run for the car door when she heard someone yell, "Rory!"

"I swear if it's Paris, I'm going to scream…" She continued walking to the car.

"Mary!" The person called to her.

She skidded to a stop. Could it be him? She turned to see who was calling her.

He made his way through the crowd and stopped. "Hey, Mary…"

"Tristan…" She mumbled.

AN: Uh oh, and you know, Jess isn't as forgiving as Dean. I wonder… Please R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 2: Who are you?

He smiled a wry smile at her before locking her in a hug. "How's my favorite Mary?"

She pulled away from him. "I'm good."

Jess stepped up to Rory and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Who's this? And why's he calling you Mary?"

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce you guys. Jess, this is Tristan; Tristan, this is my boyfriend, Jess," Rory explained.

"Boyfriend? What happened to Prince Charming?" Tristan asked, a little rejected.

"Well… Jess happened. He came to Stars Hollow before you even left. Dean saw that we were becoming really close and he just dumped me."

"What an idiot…" Tristan muttered. "If I was dating you, I wouldn't dump you just because someone like him began lurking around."

She could feel Jess's arm tense around her shoulders. "So, Tristan, how was military school?"

"Better than I expected. They released me early for 'good behavior.'"

"You? Good behavior? No…"

"Yeah, I'm lucky too. My dad almost didn't want to let me out. He finally let me come home."

Jess tightened his grip on Rory. "So why do you call Rory Mary?"

"It's a biblical insult," Rory explained sweetly.

"Yeah, we call goody-goodies 'Marys' and for sluts we add a 'Magdalene' to it," Tristan clarified in a snotty tone. "Not like you'd know that…"

Rory wrapped her arm around Jess's waist in order to stop him from killing Tristan. "On the contrary," Rory announced, "Jess is really smart. Plus, I didn't know why you were calling me Mary when I first came to Chilton."

"So what's with you?" He asked Jess. "The bad boy look? What, no motorcycle?"

Jess actually took a step forward this time, wanting to rip Tristan to shreds. "What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped.

"Just that you're not the kind of guy for Rory," Tristan replied.

"Oh, is that right? And who is? You?"

"Well, yeah. She doesn't need some leather-wearing poser…"

Jess tried to attack Tristan but Rory held him back. "We should get going. Right, Jess?"

He glared at Tristan. "Right, let's get out of here." He turned, grabbed onto Rory's hand, and began walking to his car.

"Good to have you back, Tristan, talk to you tomorrow!" She called to him as Jess pulled her away.

Jess climbed in the car as Rory climbed in the other side. "Talk to you tomorrow?" He started the car and raced from the Chilton parking lot.

"It's inevitable that I'm going to be talking to him."

"And why is that?" She could sense the anger in his tone.

"Because we're friends."

"Like we were friends?"

"I-um… I guess…"

"So is that what's going to happen?"

"What?"

"You! What happened with us? We kissed while you were still dating Dean! We spent so much time together and flirted shamelessly! Is that going to happen to us?"

"Why are you getting upset with me? I haven't done anything wrong! Jess, you're my boyfriend and just because an old friend who had a crush on me came back doesn't mean that's going to change!"

"Who's says it won't?" He snapped glancing over to her.

"I say it won't!" She looked to the road in front of them before screeching, "Jess!"

AN: Uh oh… Anyways, please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 3: Hospitality

Jess woke up in a hospital room. It was bright and quiet. He looked around the room, hoping to find Rory. But she wasn't there.

He hit the call button and a nurse came into the room. "Yes?" She asked.

"Why am I here?" He asked bluntly.

"You and that young lady you were with were in an accident. You broke your nose and she broke her wrist."

"Where is she?"

"In the next room, feel free to visit her." The nurse left.

Jess sat up on the edge of the bed and stood. He walked off into the next room. Luke and Lorelai were in the room, talking to Rory.

"Rory?" Jess asked.

She smiled at him. "Hey…"

He tried to smile but failed.

"I'm going to get coffee," Lorelai announced, leaving the room.

"I'll be right back," Luke said, leaving also.

Jess stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"You can sit down if you want," Rory offered.

He walked over and sat next to her, silently.

"Are you okay? It didn't sound good when you hit your nose against the steering wheel."

"What happened?" He mumbled.

"Well, we were driving down the road, fighting…"

Flashback

"_Jess!" She screeched._

_Jess looked in front of them and shouted, "Oh shit!" at the top of his lungs. He swerved the car away from the idiot driving on the wrong side of the road and fell into a ditch. His head hit the steering wheel, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious. Rory hit her arm against the dashboard and clutched it in pain._

"_Jess?" She said. "Jess?"_

End of flashback

"…and that's what happened."

"Shit…" He muttered.

"What?"

"I keep doing this to you, Rory!"

"Doing what?"

"This is the second time that you've been in a car crash because of me."

"So?"

"That's got to be saying something."

"That's saying you're a lousy driver."

"Don't joke."

"Hey, don't blame yourself."

"I hurt you."

"Jess, stop. You're not responsible. That moron driving on the wrong side of the road is responsible."

"Yeah right."

"Stop! You're not responsible! And as for Tristan, forget about it. We're friends, nothing more and never going to be!"

"Okay, I get it."

AN: Interesting… Not the best chapter, I'll admit but I tried. Hey, sorry it took so long but since my keyboard's still messed up I can only use my mom's laptop and I can only do that so often. Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 4: Truce

"What happened to your arm?" Tristan asked Rory the next day at Chilton.

"Car accident, another one," she replied.

"Another one? You've been in one before?"

"Yeah, with Jess."

"Trying to kill you, is he?"

"No. After you left, Jess needed a tutor and so his uncle, Luke, asked me to do it. We had gone out for ice cream and then there was this furry thing in the road. He swerved and crashed into a pole. He made sure I was okay before leaving and then being sent back to New York."

"If he was sent back to New York, why's he here?"

"He came back."

"For you right?"

"I'm not totally sure."

"So what happened in this accident?"

"We were driving and someone moron was driving on the wrong side of the road. We swerved and drove into a ditch. I broke my wrist again and he broke his nose."

"Jesus… You okay, Mary?"

She let out a small laugh. "I'm fine."

"Well, can I be the first to sign your cast?" He asked pulling a sharpie from his backpack.

She looked down at her arm. "Well, I think that ship has sailed. But you can be the third."

"Okay then." He started writing on her arm. "There," he said when he finished. "Perfect."

She smiled at him with happiness.

"Nice nose brace," Dean joked. "New fashion trend?"

"Shut up," Jess replied, walking away.

Dean followed him. "So what's with you?"

"Why of all people would I tell you?"

"That friendship offers still stands."

Jess shot him a suspicious look.

"C'mon, Jess, if it's about Rory, I might be able to help you."

"Fine. I was in a car crash."

"That I know. There's got to be something else bugging you."

Jess paused. "Do you know a guy from Chilton named Tristan?"

"That creep? Yeah, I know him. At one of Chilton's dances I got into a fight with him. But he left a second before the presentation of the scene from Romeo and Juliet. Why do you ask?"

"Apparently he's back."

"What, did he get kicked out of Military School?"

"No, surprisingly he got off on good behavior."

"Great."

"So he's back and he and Rory are friends."

"You know that he has a thing for her right?"

"Yeah, that's what worries me. You think that he'll change anything?"

"Um… No, not at all."

"You need to learn to lie better."

"Sorry."

Jess looked at him through the corner of his eye. "Okay, so truce?" He held his hand for a handshake.

"Truce," Dean finished shaking his hand.

AN: This is the start of a very weird friendship. Anyways, R&R! P.S. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Kwanzaa.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 5: Signing off

Madeline leaned across the table to whisper to Rory. "Hey, Rory?"

"Yeah?" Rory replied, keeping her mind on her work.

"Have you talked to your boyfriend about the triple date yet?"

"Oh, not yet. We were in an accident last night and I didn't get a chance to ask."

"That really sucks. But just ask him." She paused and said, "Can I sign your cast?"

"Sure…" Rory handed her a sharpie and reached her arm across.

Madeline signed her name and handed the sharpie back to Rory. "So what's with you and Tristan?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Just wondering about what he signed on your cast."

"It's just Tristan being Tristan."

"I think he likes you."

"Well, I'm not involved with Tristan."

"You should be."

"For one, I have a boyfriend. And for two, I'm just getting on Paris's good side and I'm not going to screw that up."

"I'd make a move."

"I'm not you though."

Rory walked out of school, wanting to get to the bus stop as soon as she could. She just wanted to get home.

"Where are you going so quickly?" Tristan asked as he drove up besides her.

"Trying to get to the bus stop."

"Would you like a ride instead?"

Rory paused. She knew Jess wouldn't like it but after having Jess pick her up from school for the past two weeks, it felt weird to be sitting at a bus stop. "Um, sure." She climbed into his car and he sped down the highway. "Nice car, did you steal it?" Rory joked.

"Hey, I'm not that much of a delinquent."

"Whatever you say," she agreed with a smile.

"So what's with the new guy?" Tristan asked as if it were an everyday thing.

"You mean Jess?"

"Yeah, him."

"I like him. He's smart and he gets me. One time he came over when Paris was over and they were locked in deep conversation about books forever."

"So that's why you like him? Because he gives Paris a run for her money?"

"No, I like him because… It's the X Factor, you know?"

He gave a small smile. "I know what you mean."

After the thirty-minute ride, Tristan dropped Rory off in front of the market. "See you tomorrow, Rory."

"See you tomorrow, Tristan." She got out of the car and waved goodbye.

"What the hell was _he_ doing here?" Dean asked from behind her.

She looked back at him. "He was giving me a ride."

"Right."

"Look, I have to go meet Jess."

"Okay, you do that. Imagine what he'll have to say about the thing that Tristan wrote on your arm."

"Don't get involved."

"What does he mean when he wrote-"

"Forget it, don't get involved." She twirled around on the ball of her foot and walked the other direction.

"What is going on with you and Tristan, Rory? I think that you should at least tell Jess."

"Nothing's going on!" She yelled at him as she continued walking. "I swear it! Have I ever lied? And why do you care? You hate Jess!" And at that moment, Rory ran straight into Jess.

He grabbed onto her upper arms and said, "What's going on?"

"Jess, dude, look at her cast," Dean instructed him.

Jess looked down at what Tristan had scribbled on her cast. "'Thus with a kiss… I return. Love, Romeo.'" Jess seemed to be choking on his own words. "What the hell? Who is this Romeo?"

"I'm still stuck on thus with a kiss," Dean replied. "I know who Romeo is."

"What is going on?" Jess demanded.

"Romeo is Tristan. The kid is smart; he was referring to how he was going to be Romeo in their scene from Romeo and Juliet."

"And the line 'Thus with a kiss I die' is one of the last lines in the play."

"When they rehearsed, Tristan kept repeating that line like it was supposed to bug me."

"Since you guys seem to have this figured out, I'm just going to go," Rory muttered, trying to slip away.

Jess wrapped her in a hug and continued his conversation. "Well, he came back so that explains the I return part. But what does he mean by the kiss thing?"

"It's part of the play…" Rory interjected.

"But there had to be a reason why he put that specific line," Dean said.

Rory could feel their eyes burning into the side of her head. "Okay! Okay! Tristan and I kissed!"

AN: The shit is about to hit the fan! Anyways, R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls but I would really like to own Jess.

Chapter 6: Tell the truth

"You what?" Dean snapped.

"I kissed him…" She repeated.

"When?" Jess asked, trying to remain calm.

"I mean," Dean started, "when would you have been able to? We were still dating when he left."

"So you kissed Tristan while you were dating Dean?" Jess inquired.

"No, I didn't kiss Tristan while I was dating Dean."

"Then when?" Dean insisted.

"When we broke up the first time. I went to a party with Lane and I watched Tristan get dumped by this girl, Summer. Then I went to find a quiet place to read and I found him. He was upset and I was upset about our break up and we kissed. Then I ran out of there crying."

"That's what that whole thing during rehearsal was all about?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"I don't even know what to say…" Jess muttered.

"It's no big deal," Rory said.

"Think about it, Rory!" Dean shouted. "It is a big deal! He's one of these stupid rich kids!"

"He's not stupid!" She defended.

"Seems pretty stupid to me…" Jess muttered under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

"He was sent to military school, that has to mean that he did something stupid," Jess explained.

"Yeah…" Dean added. "What did he do again?"

"He broke into a safe with a few friends…" She mumbled.

"Sounds pretty stupid to me," Jess chimed in.

"Guys can we please drop it?" She asked.

"No we can't drop it!" Dean yelled. "We just found out that you kissed Tristan!"

"What's this 'we' stuff?" She replied. "Since when can you and Jess actually stand to be near each other?"

"That's not the point!" Dean screamed.

"Dean, we broke up! You don't get to be involved with this!"

"But you're my friend!"

"God! This is like trying to teach a new dog old tricks!" Frustrated, Rory stomped off.

"She'll get over it…" Dean said.

"I'm not so sure about this…" Jess replied.

"She'll cool off."

"Whatever you say."

AN: Oh fun! Sorry it took so long to update but I've had major writer's block! I also fractured my elbow so I can only type with one hand, making it take longer. But I'm running out of ideas, again, so if you have any ideas help me out! Anyways, R&R!


	7. Author's Note

AN: I need help! I'm having writer's block! I have no idea where to go from here. If you have any ideas you're willing to spare, please tell me! Thanks for the help. MonsterChild!


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Chapter 7: Angry kiss

AN: Thanks to all that gave me suggestions! And especially thanks to those that I'm using. Just to be clear, it will be a J/R. Sorry to those that wanted it to be a Trory. Read on!

Throughout the day, Tristan kept noticing that Rory seemed a little more fierce than usual. After the last class, he approached her at her locker. "Hey, Rory, what's with you today?" He asked.

"I'm just annoyed with Dean and Jess," she replied, pulling a book out of her locker.

"With both of them, huh?" He said sarcastically. "What'd they do? Kill each other?"

She shut her locker and turned to him. "No. They double-teamed me and gave me crap about you."

"What about me?"

"The fact that you gave me a ride home."

"How did Jess know about that? He wasn't even there."

"Dean was."

"So they got mad at you because I gave you a ride home? Well, that's stupid, I should be the one that they're mad at."

"The world doesn't always work that way. But that wasn't the only thing that bugged them."

"What else?"

She held up her broken wrist. "Because of what you wrote."

"How could they get mad about that?"

"They sat there analyzing it until they figured out everything but the kiss part. And I just couldn't take it anymore. I told them that we kissed and then it was pretty much downhill from there."

"They shouldn't be mad at you."

"They're not anymore, I got annoyed with them since they wouldn't leave me alone about it and I stormed off."

"I think you had a right to do that." There was an awkward pause before Tristan said, "Do you want a ride home? I'm suspecting that Jess isn't picking you up."

"Not that I know of. I'd really like a ride." She followed him out to the parking lot and to her surprise Jess was there. "Jess!"

"C'mon, Rory! Let's get going!" He called to her.

She turned to Tristan. "I guess I have to go, but thanks for the offer."

"No problem." And without a second thought, Tristan grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her.

Jess, outraged, climbed into his car and sped out of the Chilton parking lot.

Rory pulled away from Tristan. "Tristan! What the hell is wrong with you? You know I'm dating Jess! How could you kiss me? Especially while Jess is standing right there." She looked over to where Jess had been standing and saw he wasn't there anymore. "You are such a jerk!" She slapped him across the face before running off.

AN: Sorry that this is so short but having a little bit of writer's block. Anyways, please R&R!


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls otherwise I would've made this happen in the series.

Chapter 8: Mistake

Jess drove into Star's Hollow, angry at Rory. He got out of his car and went into the diner, surprised to see Dean sitting at the counter. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Good to see you too," Dean joked. "I don't have work today, I thought we could talk to Rory."

"I really don't care anymore," Jess said, going behind the counter and pouring Dean some coffee.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I go to pick Rory up and she's with Tristan. She turns to say goodbye and kisses him."

Dean thought for a moment. "Did you think that maybe the kiss wasn't Rory's doing? Or even something she wanted?"

"I don't know…"

"I bet that's the case."

"How do you know?"

"After Rory and I broke up, she began showing up at my house, bursting out into speech randomly during a town meeting. So I went to see her at Chilton after school one day and Tristan was following her, carrying her books."

"She was seeing him?"

"No. I almost drove off but she stopped me."

"How'd she do that?"

"She told me that she loved me."

"Then what was Tristan doing with her books?"

"He was trying to get her to go out with him but she didn't want to. It screwed up her friendship with Paris for a while."

"So you think that this is just some mistake?"

"Probably. Just talk to her."

The bell rang as Rory entered the diner. "Jess," she said frantically. "Please, I need to talk to you."

"Fine, come on," he replied, gesturing towards the back. He and Rory went into the storage room.

"I'm so sorry," she pleaded. "I had no idea that he was going to do that. He felt sorry for me that we got into fight because of him and he was going to give me a ride. But you were there and I was going to say goodbye. He kissed me without my consent."

"Rory…"

"And after you left, I slapped him but you didn't see that. I'm just so so sorry!"

"Rory! It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Alright…"

He leaned in and kissed her. "Let's just get some coffee."

Rory nodded, not sure what to think.

AN: I'm still having writer's block. Anyways, please R&R!


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 9: WTF?

Rory didn't want to have anything to do with Tristan the next day in school.

"Come on, Mary," he said as he followed her down the hall. "You can't stay mad at me forever.."

She turned on him. "For one, my name's Rory. And for two, that's where you're wrong," she snapped. "I can stay mad at you forever and I should after what you pulled yesterday! That was stupid!" She twirled back around to storm off but he stopped her.

"Why?" he replied with just as much force as she did. "Why was that a stupid thing to do? Because your boyfriend was there? Big deal, I don't care about him!"

"Don't you get it?" she growled. "You could've ruined my relationship!"

"Good!" Tristan yelled. They were starting to draw the attention of many passing students.

"What?" Rory hissed, astounded at his comment. "Good?"

"Yeah," he replied surely. "Good. I want to ruin your relationship."

"God, you are so difficult!" she screamed. "Why do you want to ruin my relationship with Jess?"

"Because I want to be him!" Tristan admitted loudly. "I want to be the one dating you! I don't care about him or Dean, all I care about is you! And I don't want either one of them to get in my way!"

"Well, what I get in your way, huh? What if I say that I don't want what you want? Will that stop you?" she challenged him.

"Yes," he growled. "But can you really say that you'll be happier with him than with me?"

"Yes!" she snapped. "Yes, I can. Because the thing is you two are very different people. And, I'm sorry, but he's the one I want to be with. Get over it." She turned once again to leave but he asked, "Why not me?"

She stopped and looked back at him. "What?"

He sighed. "Why did you choose him and not me?"

Her energy dropped at that statement. "Tristan…"

"No," he said, plainly. "I want to know. I waited for a long time for you a long time, hoping that you and Dean would break up but you never did. Then I come back from military school to find out that you dumped Dean for some guy who'd been around since before I left. So after all that, I have just one question for you: Why not me? Why did you want him instead of me?"

She couldn't look at him. She wouldn't make eye contact as she said softly, "We are very different people, Tristan, just as you and Jess are very different. You are from a world that my mother gave up so that she could make a life of her own and you are from a world which I was thrown into because I wanted better education. I didn't really want the people in the world, just what I could learn from it. You are just…" She sighed. "You are, for lack of a better term, just not my type."

He stared at her and said, "Well, alright then…" And walked away.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Rory met Jess outside of Chilton that day after school and greeted him with a big hug. "Rough day?" he asked.

She nodded. "A little." There was a pause before adding, "There's going to be no more problems with Tristan…"

Jess smiled at her. "Okay then."

AN: HELLO! Yes, I haven't updated in forever but I have now, haven't I? ANYWAYS, I debated about making this the final chapter but I think I'm going to do one more and then it will be done. So please, R&R!


	11. The End

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Tristan went back to his delinquent friends and his delinquent ways, which landed him back in military school. Rory didn't feel so sorry for him this time. And the rest the story, is history.

AN: So, I decided that another chapter wasn't exactly necessary for this story, but I felt like I needed to have some insurance that Tristan wasn't going to be around anymore. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this story. And as always, please R&R!


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